In December 2015, CEP announced that Bloomberg Philanthropies, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and The Kresge Foundation doubled their commitment, providing an additional $10 million in funding to extend the project from 2016 through 2018 and expand the work to a cohort of new participating cities. In November 2016, 10 new cities joined the project. They are Des Moines, Iowa; Fort Collins, Colo.; Miami-Dade County; New Orleans; Pittsburgh; Providence, R.I.; Reno, Nev.; San Jose, Calif.; St. Louis; and St. Paul, Minn.

The City Energy Project mission remain the same – create healthier, more prosperous American cities by targeting their largest source of energy use and climate pollution: buildings. Visit the National project’s website (cityenergyproject.org) or follow us at #CityEnergyProject to find out more.

MC Realty is the recipient of two 2016 Lighting Energy Efficiency in Parking (LEEP) campaign awards for “Highest Percentage Energy Savings in a Retrofit at a Single Parking Structure” for an incredible 83 percent energy savings at Poindexter Garage and “Exemplary Office Sector Parking Facility”. The recognition program is a collaboration of the Building Owners and Managers Association International, International Facility Management Organization, International Parking Institute, U.S. Green Building Council and the U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings Alliance.

Per the City of Kansas City, Mo. Energy Empowerment Ordinance, city-owned buildings over 10,000 square feet are now reporting their energy and water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. A few bonus data points were also included – estimated energy costs and environmental impact data on some smaller buildings.

Two interactive data visualizations platforms were created for you. Both allow you to interact with the data with a single click on any data point. Try it out on OpenDataKC or experiment with this tool.

Effective May 5, 2016, Rules for the Energy Empowerment Ordinance are available to be used for guidance on how to comply with the benchmarking policy requirements. The Rules provide guidance on topics including definitions; covered buildings; compliance schedule; benchmarking and reporting requirements; maintenance of records; exemptions; and enforcement.

In Kansas City, the City Council is the legislative body that adopts broad mandates and then agencies responsible for implementation develop rules that provide details on how to carry out implementation. The Rules for the Energy Empowerment Ordinance were developed by city staff with stakeholder input from the City Energy Project Advisory Committee, a committee comprised of appointed members representing local industries, businesses and nonprofits, co-chaired by Councilman Scott Taylor.

Kansas City Mayor Sly James hosted the second annual Energy Efficiency Awards Breakfast on Wednesday April 27 2016. Jointly hosted by Kansas City Energy Project and Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Mayor James recognized area businesses and organizations for contributing to a more sustainable community.

2016 Mayor’s Energy Challenge

The 2016 Mayor’s Energy Challenge invites businesses and institutions to improve their building’s energy performance. Mayor James recognized “early-bird” participants in the 2016 Challenge. These buildings are reducing their energy consumption while using ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager to measure and track energy consumption. Congratulations and thank you to these organizations that have already signed up for the 2016 Challenge:

Hines – 2555 Grand

H&R Block – H&R Block World Headquarters

City of Kansas City, Missouri – 4 Buildings

Kansas City Public Schools – 35 Buildings

Superior Energy Operations through Building Operator Certification

These organizations have demonstrated a commitment to make their buildings more comfortable and energy efficient through facility staff completing Building Operator Certification® (BOC). BOC is nationally recognized program focusing on energy efficient building operations and preventative maintenance procedures. The awardees each have two or more BOC Level 1 graduates AND one or more BOC Level 2 graduates in the last seven years.

Blackfin

City of Kansas City, Missouri

Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

General Services Administration

Hallmark

Harley-Davidson

Hines

Kessinger Hunter

MC Realty Group

Superior Energy Performance through ENERGY STAR Certification

This award recognizes building owners maintaining high energy performance standards, demonstrated by achieving an ENERGY STAR® score of 75 or greater and by regularly verifying this performance through ENERGY STAR® Certification. The awarded owners represent buildings earning four or more ENERGY STAR® Certifications in the last 10 years, including at least one in the last two years.

Awarded to an organization for their work to advance the building energy efficiency industry through an innovative program or product developed in Kansas City.

Awarded to Milbank Manufacturing for SynapSuite.

SynapSuite is an energy management system that controls, optimizes and balances electric generation sources with loads in order to shave peak load and provide the most efficient use of energy for grid-tied as well as microgrid installations.

Success in Energy Efficiency through Major Renovation in the Urban Core

Awarded for redeveloping a vacant or blighted structure in the urban core into an energy efficient building that provides significant benefits to the community. Energy efficiency is demonstrated by a source EUI in the top third of national peer building’s or an ENERGY STAR® score of 67 or greater.

Located in historic Manheim Park Neighborhood, The Bancroft School Apartments is a historic renovation of Bancroft Elementary School consisting of 50 affordable housing units, 29 in the renovated school building and 21 new units built on school grounds. The project was completed in October 2013 and fully occupied before the end of that year. With an ENERGY STAR® score in the top third, Bancroft is performing 40-50% better than industry standards; Bancroft has received LEED Platinum Certification.

This weekend it is time to ‘spring forward’ and start Daylight Saving Time. This adjustment to the clock was originally planned as a creative way to save energy by Canada and Germany during World War I, and established uniformly in the United States in 1966. But whether changing our clocks actually saves energy receives mixed reviews. Most studies conclude that at best is saves very little energy and in fact may actually increase energy consumption. Our reduced need for lighting in the evenings is offset by greater cooling needs.

Interested in reading more?

Take a looks at this Forbes.com article from last year, which includes links to many research studies on the topic.

An interactive map-based tool is now live on Kansas City’s Energy Empowerment Program website. The tool was developed for property owners or their authorized agents to locate their building, find their unique Kansas City building ID, and provide contact information to associate themselves with their building. The information will be used for education, outreach, and correspondences for the Energy Empowerment Ordinance.